Thursday

Malkin admits it "may seem mean-spirited" that she calls into question "hate crime"

The Lawrence Journal World reported Monday on the attack on a controversial Kansas University professor "who gained recent notoriety for his Internet tirades against Christian fundamentalists."

Kansas University religious studies professor Paul Mirecki reported he was beaten by two men about 6:40 a.m. today on a roadside in rural Douglas County. In a series of interviews late this afternoon, Mirecki said the men who beat him were making references to the controversy that has propelled him into the headlines in recent weeks

There is, however, another possibility: It could be a hoax. Mirecki's reticence, lack of specifics, and odd behavior are raising some doubts. Says one skeptic:

If a pickup truck was driving behind you in the early morning in a deserted rural area, and two men got out holding a large metal object, and you were still in your car, would you get out to go talk with them? ... How did those in the pickup truck find him? Were they waiting at his house? In that case Dr. Mirecki should have noticed them right away. How would they just randomly find him in the middle of the country?

Asking such questions may seem mean-spirited, but given the prevalence of stagedhate crimes since the Tawana Brawley hoax two decades ago, skepticism is warranted.

Queen Malice is right. She is indeed mean-spirited, but this latest "questioning" is just additional evidence for something we already knew.
UPDATE: Wingnuts don't take it well when people criticize their right-wing gods and goddesses, like The Real Ugly American who likes to be real ugly in his comments (Pot-Calling-Kettle-Black Syndrome).